Hurricane Season is Here; Get Prepared

(June 19, 2012) —
Hurricane season started June 1, and it’s time for all of us to finalize preparations at home as well as at the University of Miami. Click here to go to the updated version of “Weathering the Storm,” the University’s condensed guide to hurricane preparedness. Print out a copy and refer to it in case a storm is approaching.

Although we are preparing for the upcoming hurricane season, the University Disaster Plan provides guidelines for handling any type of emergency life-safety situation that may arise, whether it impacts the University campuses only or has a greater impact on the surrounding community.

The University Disaster Preparation and Recovery Plan is available online. The emergency preparedness website, www.miami.edu/prepare, provides you with up-to-date information regarding emergency preparedness.

Please remember—for life-threatening emergencies on any campus, call 911. UM Police are also available around the clock by calling 305-284-6666 on the Coral Gables campus. On the Miller School campus, call Security at 305-243-6000, and on the Rosenstiel campus, call Campus Safety at 305-421-4766 (office) or 305-710-7991 (24/7). More than 150 emergency blue-light phones, which connect directly to police and security, are strategically located throughout the Coral Gables and Miller School campuses.

The University has numerous methods for communicating information to faculty, staff, and students, including:

• When a situation warrants, mass text messages and e-mails containing emergency information will be sent out. Now is the time to make sure the University has your current information by verifying your profile on MyUM at www.miami.edu/myUM.

• To confirm or update your contact information: Log on to myUM. On the home page, click on “Personal, Address and Emergency/Evacuation Information” in the “Personal & Biographical Info” section in the right-hand column.

• Confirm or update your emergency and storm preparedness information: Go to myUM and click on “Personal, Address and Emergency/Evacuation Information.” On this page you will find a link to forms where you can provide contact information for someone who will know how to reach you in the event of an emergency that requires you to leave your residence. On the same form, list an address and phone number where you can, most likely, be reached if you were not able to live in your home. If you do not have information for either of those, click the boxes to indicate you don’t have a contact or don’t know where you’ll be.

• Messages in a time of crisis are immediately posted on the University’s home page, www.miami.edu. Additional information about clinical and research operations on the medical campus can be found on the Miller School of Medicine’s home page, www.med.miami.edu.

• Information is updated on a recorded message on the UM Emergency Information Hotline, 800-227-0354. In a time of crisis, trained staff are available to answer questions live.

• Your cell phone can keep you informed in case of an emergency. Please take a moment to visit www.miami.edu/myUM to provide your personal cell phone number and check that all of your personal information is correct. Here’s how to add your cell phone number so we can contact you in an emergency:

Log on to myUM. On the home page, click on “Personal, Address and Emergency/Evacuation Information” in the “Personal & Biographical Info” section in the right-hand column.

The fourth section on the page is for providing Emergency Cellular Phone Information. In the Emergency Cellular Phone Information section, click on “Update this section.” Complete the fields on the page (number and phone carrier). Be sure to check the box marked “I consent to allow the University to send a text message to notify me in the event of a Campus Emergency.”

Click “Submit” to update information.

Storm Alert Updates

The University will send out Storm Alert emails and post up-to-date information on its Storm Alert/Emergency Preparedness website, www.miami.edu/prepare, whenever a major storm is within a 500-mile radius of South Florida or during any other type of emergency crisis. You are urged to check the website for all official University emergency announcements, respond accordingly to the cell phone emergency call, or call one of the hotline numbers listed in the hurricane preparedness guide. The hotlines are updated frequently during emergencies and contain current information about University operations.

The University of Miami Health System (UHealth) mission of providing quality patient care makes the institution unique among the University’s programs and calls for special concerns in the event of an approaching hurricane. Emergency announcements issued from the Miller School and its hospitals and clinics may differ from statements released by the Coral Gables and Rosenstiel campuses. During a “warning” level of a hurricane or tropical storm threat, University of Miami Hospital will continue to operate under its established Hurricane and Tropical Storm Emergency Response Plan. Department directors will brief hospital employees on their department’s proper procedures and their specific responsibilities in the event of a hurricane. The Miller School’s annual Hurricane Update will be available online May 31, and additional information will be published in e-Update.

After a storm, students, faculty, or staff who are forced to evacuate or temporarily relocate to another area should notify the University of their new location and contact information by going to recover.miami.edu. This is the online site where you should “check in” following a hurricane. This will help us determine that all members of our UM community are safe and ascertain who needs emergency assistance.